Ignorance was my bliss
by Z.jean
Summary: I didn't mind not knowing my past. I was satisfied with Zig and our little shack in the slums. Most people weren't. I was. I had a feeling that my life before Zig was nightmarish and I didn't want to face it. Then that day came, and the day it happened Shinra plucked from my simple life and threw me into everything I tried to hide from. And I was right; it was hell. (OC story)
1. Chapter 1

**OC**

**This story follows Matilda and her experiences as the events of the main game occur.**

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They call me Matilda. Matilda, which means battle-mighty. It's a name given to those who are strong willed and brave. Zig gave me this name when he found me; he is my caretaker, my brother, my best friend and my savior, and I respect him immensely. However, I am not worthy of his bestowal of the name Matilda. I fear what I was before Matilda therefore I am a coward. Cowards do not have names such as Matilda. I am not Matilda, though thats what they call me.

I only dream of darkness. In my dreams, I am often walking with purpose. My footsteps echo through the space, and I feel alone although I know I am not. I try to keep myself calm by counting, _one, two, three, four-_I know that there is an end to this darkness, and I know I am getting closer to the end. As I step forward _five, six, seven, eight, nine-_my heart beats so hard it clogs my throat. I am scared, terrified. Although the light will show me that which I desire, there is no sheathe to protect horrors which the darkness hides. I don't want it all to come rushing back. I stop. Will I willingly leave the darkness? No. Even darkness can become comfortable if you live in it long enough. _Ten._

Someone is screaming in the distance; dying painfully and unfairly. I should go see who it is, try to help them. Instead, I squat on the ground and pull my knees to my chest.

I don't mind not knowing.

_Traitor_

2 days before

My hands slapped rhythmically against my thighs with Zig's song playing in my head as I sat on the Sector 8 platform waiting for the last train to the slums. I was earlier than normal since there had been a sudden explosion in one of the reactors. I heard it was a big deal-a terrorist attack I think. I was slightly grateful for the event because my boss let me out early. I was exhausted. Too exhausted to care if Midgar was in danger.

After a few minutes the train pulled up into the station. There were only a few other people boarding the train, most of them looked like they were up to no good. That was a stereotype about people in the slums; that we're all bullies looking to get into trouble. I chuckled to myself as I realized that the stereotype was more true than not. I sat down on the train, with my bag in my lap and turned to look out of the window. The train slowly pulled out.

I liked to look at the types of people on late trains-they were all so interesting. Two distinct groups passed through my car over the course of the ride. One was a group of punks, most likely younger than I. They had spiked hair dyed with rich colors, and chains dangled off of almost every loop on their clothing. When they caught me smiling at them, they rolled their eyes and turned away. I suppose my face was too kind.

I thought it was just going to be the punk kids and I taking the train back, but the door from the next cabin slid open and another group poured in. The group was quite the ragtag gang. There was a chubby looking guy, a woman-probably in her late 20's, a nerdy guy, a huge guy with a mechanical suit, and-get this-a SOLDIER. The punks immediately left the car when the others walked in. I stood my ground although I did feel uncomfortable. They all walked with so much command and confidence, it made me feel as if I was the one intruding.

The SOLDIER and the man with the mechanical arm held the most command out of the group. However, they were exact opposites. Mechanical arm guy walked with heavy footsteps, large movements and a sense of recklessness. When he passed by me, he nearly knocked me in the face as he swung his arms. When pulled my legs in, and clutched my bag to my chest he scowled at me. The SOLDIER trailed directly behind him. He walked with a straight back, kept his arms at his side, and stepped lightly; he was almost graceful. He blanked stared at me and I wondered if me saw me as pathetic, considering how much I had pulled myself into a ball since his group had walked in. He turned away almost as quickly as he had passed me. On his back, I noticed a long bold sword. I cocked my head to the side, staring at it. Its shape was familiar.

It wasn't long before we'd arrived in the slums. I hopped out of the train, and darted into Sector 7. I passed by the bar Seventh Heaven, (which I heard was actually the secret-base for AVALACHE), and into the residential area. The air was thick with humidity, but also filled with dust from the explosion earlier. One of the benefits of living in the slums is you get used to breathing in very thick air.

Something caught my eye amidst the piles of rubble and trash against the side of the path. I stopped and leaned over to get a better look. I didn't want to just dive in to see what it was; there was always a possibility of a monster jumping out at attacking me. Ugh-I couldn't afford to be attacked.

Last time a monster got the best of me, I probably should've gone to the hospital to get stitches, or gotten an elixir or something. Since I couldn't afford it I used some some of my roommate Zig's tape, and used it to cover the wound up. It worked, but now I have this discoloration and misshapen skin moving across my collar bone. Strangers respected me for having a battle wound.

When the area I was inspecting seemed clear, I delved into the trash. I grabbed hold of what I had seen-a woven material. When I pulled it out, I found that it was a small sun straw sun hat, embellished with an olive green ribbon. It was high quality, obviously; and I understood why someone trashed it. What would you use a sunhat for below the plate where the sun never touched? Perhaps it had fallen from above? Regardless, it was mine now. Without a second thought, I placed it onto my head and felt extremely fancy. For the rest of the walk to my house, I walked with an erect posture and a proud grin.

I was happy to see that there were people sitting on my stoop, with beers spread all across our 8 foot by 3 foot porch. My roommate Zig, was the first to notice me. He waved. "Matilda!" He exclaimed, his wide smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

"Zig!" I yelled. My two other friends-Daisy (we call her Daze) and Rudy. If we were to fit into a group, it would be the artists of the slums. We're responsible for the graffiti littered around the city. It did give us some 'street cred,' however, we were in no ways threatening. Everyone knew when it came down to it, we were all scrawny starving artists.

"Come have a beer," Daze said as she slid over to open a spot.

"Don't mind if I do," I said cheerfully.

Zig immediately reached over and snatched my new hat right off of my head. "And what is this?" Zig said. "I've never seen you wearing this."

"I found it," I said as I took it back, "It's nice, right?"

Daze was looking at it with wide and slightly jealous eyes, "Oh man, that looks so good on you. I want one."

"Well then you better start digging," Zig chuckled. "You probably wont see a hat like that for another 10 years down here." He placed the hat back on top of my head.

"Except on me," I joked. "Pass me a beer?" I said as I nudged Rudy's leg. He grunted, and then handed me one. The metal can was perspiring with cold drops of water. I leaned back and pressed it up against my forehead. I let my eyes close. No one spoke, and I heard as we all gave a collective sigh of relief at the end of a long day at work.

"Goddamn, I'm really tired," Rudy said. "It's just one of those days, you know?"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Daze said. "I feel like everything is getting so much harder." She made sure to drag out the word 'so.'

"To be honest, I feel like everyday is like this," I added.

There was a silence which I took as agreement, though nobody really wanted to admit that this is what their lives had become. To be perfectly honest, this was the only life I knew, and I hadn't lived it for too long. I'd only been working my job for a year and a half, and the six months before that was a blur spent with Zig sitting beside me, spooning me food as I lay face up on the floor of our house.

I sighed and opened my eyes. I didn't like thinking about before. I was happy with Zig, and that's all that mattered.

Zig must've felt how awkward it was and, as he always did, he started to sing, "We're gonna have a good day / And all my homies gonna ride today / And all these mommies look fly today / And all we wanna do is get by today..."

Then we were all singing, "Heyyy! We're gonna have a good day / And ain't nobody gotta cry today / Cause ain't nobody gonna die today / You can save that drama for another day / Heyyy we're gonna have a good day!" By the end of our chorus we were screaming the words at the top of our lunges without a single note on key, besides Zig; Zig hit all the notes. I raised my beer up in the air and cheered with excitement. We laughed, and our laughs died out into chuckles, and then into a tired lull once more.

"But actually a bunch of people died today," Zig said when we finished. "So, that song is completely useless."

"Goddammit, Zig. You just had to remind us," I groaned.

"It was really dramatic too," Zig added. He liked having the last word.

When the others had left, Zig and I went back into our house. When we flicked the lights on, a handful of roaches scampered into the corners of the room. Zig fearlessly crossed the room, and landed with a thump on his mattress. Zig must be around 140 pounds, however even that much weight being dropped makes our sad little house whine and creek. Zig was extremely lanky, with awkwardly long arms and legs. He wore clothes that were three sizes to big, not because he couldn't afford to get anything else, but because he saw it as _stylish. _His clothes would slump over his shoulders, and when he'd walk he'd have to hold his pants up by thier belt loops. I had no problems telling him he looked ridiculous, but he didn't care. In my time with him, there was only one occasion in which he allowed me to assist in his grooming and styling. He used to wear his jet black hair long, tied back into a pony tail. I thought it made him look strange. One day he asked me to trim his dead ends. I agreed and as soon as he gave me the sizzors I grabbed his pony tail and chopped it off completely. Zig was so mad, he didn't talk to me for a week.

I moved slowly to my mattress, pulling it slightly away from the wall in which I knew the roaches were hiding. While I was doing a thorough check through my sheets for any potential critters, Zig flipped on our TV. He switched it to the news which was covering the explosion. He sat quietly, with his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyebrows pulled into a pensive line.

I knew better than to bother him while he watched the news, so I slipped into my bed, tucking my blankets in to create a small cocoon for myself.

"Boss, you're going to get hot," Zig warned, glancing over at me. "You're going to wake up sweaty, and you're going to complain to me."

"Better covered in sweat than in roaches," I concluded.

Zig shrugged, and continued to watch his channel. I didn't really like the news. It just made me really sad to hear all the terrible things that happened in the world. I'd rather block it out, and worry more about the things directly in front of me. I didn't mind not knowing.

I'd get snippets of the news anyway. They were blaming AVALANCHE for the explosion. Figures. The news loved to blame AVALANCHE for everything. If they could find a way, they'd blame my fear of roaches on the eco-terrorists. I snickered to myself by the thought of it.

* * *

**So, as you can tell, there wasn't much of the Final Fantasy 7 cast in this chapter. Don't worry! They will become extremely important very soon. Thanks! Leave a review, or let me know you're with me. Thanks thanks thanks!**

**Also, I don't own any of the lyrics in this chapter. Credit goes to Nappy Roots.**


	2. Chapter 2

The day before

Zig always went to sleep after me, and them somehow managed to wake up before me. I usually woke up just in time to see him throwing his jacket on, and rushing out the front door. However to noise of him chewing woke me up. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, with a box of cereal wedged between his thighs. I sat up and wiped my hair out of my face.

"Save some for me," I groaned.

Zig grinned and tossed the box over to me. A few pieces scattered across the floor, but Zig and I weren't exactly the neatest. Zig stretched his arms up and hopped onto his feet. I quietly munched on my breakfast. I layed back on my bed, running my hands through my hair as I listened to Zig rummaging about the house, as he got ready.

"Hey Zig," I said.

"What is it, boss?"

"What did the ghost say to the bees?"

"Ah..." Zig wasn't exactly being attentive, but I didn't blame him. I knew he was late, "I'm dead, and you'll _bee_ next?" I snorted, and rolled onto my stomach. His answer was much better than the real one. I wiped my nose as I tried to hold in the giggles.

"No," I mumbled, "Boo-bees!"

Zig chuckled, "Are you sure thats an appropriate joke that a girl should be telling?" He asked. "

"I don't know," I sighed, "when you respond that way, I'm assuming I should keep it to myself." Zig nodded as he pulled his single Blazer on.

"Yeah, keep it between us, okay boss?"

"You got it," I said. Zig smiled, and nodded his head as he walked up to the front door, "You heading out?"

"Yup. Rudy and Daze were thinking dinner after you get back. You in?" I scooped out a huge handful of the cereal, tossed my head backwards and poured all of it into my mouth. I grunted a yes in response, as Zig was walking out the front door.

I heard as his heavy footsteps-_thump thump thump-_thumped down the steps of our porch, and the sound of the gravel adjusting below his feet as he walked away. When I could no long hear him, I shed my blanket off, and started my own day.

Zig was right about the sweat-my hair was matted with it, and my skin was much stickier than usual. I could shower at my job, but I didn't want to get on the train as I was. So I placed a bucket in the sink, and filled it to the rim with cold water. I carried it out onto the porch, and held my head upside down as I dumped it over myself. I gasped as the cold water passed over me, sending shivers up and down my spine. When I was done, a whipped my hair back and forth to dry it as best as I could.

I quickly slipped into my clothes, and picked up the hat I had found the day before, setting it on my head. I grabbed my purse, and stepped out the front door. Still feeling the pride of finding the hat and strode to the train with a smile. People still looked at me as if I was crazy, but it didn't bother me enough to get me to stop.

The train was waiting in the station. I tipped my head at the conductor and stepped in. It was still empty, so I figured many people had gotten the day off due the explosion. I sat down, and crossed my legs. One of the Transit Employees, or T.E.'s, was staring intensely out of the window. He let out an exasperated sigh and adjusted his tie. "Not again," he muttered.

Suddenly, the group I had seen the night before came pouring into the train. The three less daunting ones came in first, and all stood right in front of the T.E. and I. They were chattering casually, and again managed to make me feel like an intruder. Then came the large man with a mechanical arm.

"Yo!" He shouted. His voice was so loud, it made me jump in my spot, "This ain't no goddam _private_ car, so split up!" With that, the original three hopped up, and ran into another car. I watched in awe. That meant that the big guy must've been the leader, right? He caught me staring, and leaned in as if he were about to say something. I immediately dropped my eyes.

"...hoodlums again. _God_, I just have all the luck, don't I?" The T.E. mumbled. I was so surprised that he'd say something like that, especially with their leader standing right there! The leader sighed, and started to stomp up to the T.E.

"What?" He growled, "You got somethin' to say?" The T.E. grew small, and fell down on a seat. "No, seriously man, why don't you say something?" He stood directly above the the T.E., who was now shaking in his spot. The leader burst out into a fit of laughter, "It looks like their ain't that many people left in here, man. You can spit it out, ain't nobody here going to judge fo' it."

"It's empty...because of guys like you..." The T.E. mumbled. The leader slammed his fist against the window, making the T.E. cry out in fear. I hopped to my feet at this point.

"Hey, leave him alone!" I yelled. The leader looked up at me.

"What?" the leader said with narrowed eyes.

"I said leave him alone, he's not bothering anyone!"

"Excuse me but..." he began. Suddenly, the guy from SOLDIER stood in front of me and blocked my view of his leader. I clamped my mouth shut and watched him as he brought up his index finger and pressed them to his pale lips.

"You...you've seen the news, right?" the T.E. continued, "AVALANCHE say's there will be more bombings. Only devoted employees like me would go to Midgar on a day like today." The leader jumped back on his heels as if the T.E. had hit a soft spot. His confidence began to falter.

"-You're workin' for Shinra?" he spoke with a lot more hesitancy now.

"I won't give into you're violence, and -"

Suddenly a woman who I hadn't seen with the group before ran forward, "Barret!" She shouted. The tension subsided, just like that. The SOLDIER dropped his arm and nodded towards me.

"Nice hat," he said calmly. I had almost forgetting that I had placed it on my head only 20 minutes earlier. "Sit down. Everything's gonna be okay." I nodded and slumped back into my spot. The woman and this Barret guy came running back to meet the SOLDIER. They edged back into the far corner of the train, and spoke with lowered voices. However, I could still hear them.

"So, what are we going to do now?" The SOLDIER asked.

"Shit! The hell you so calm about? You bustin' up my rhythm..." Barret whined.

Suddenly, the whole car shook, and we began to pull out of the station. The woman sighed and cocked her head to the side, "Finally...we can go."

"So, what's our next target?" The SOLDIER said irritably. Barret laughed and leaned up against one of the nearby poles. He crossed his arms across his chest and stared at he SOLDIER with a grin.

"Well, well, well, listen to Mr. Serious-bout-his-work," Barret teased. "Try to calm the fuck down, Cloud. We just left the station." Barret cracked his neck, "Awright, I'll tell ya. Jessie's probably already told ya, but there's a security check point at the top plate. It's an ID scan checkin' all the trains. Which means our fake's are crap."

I felt my heart drop at this. There was no mistaking it in my mind. These guys were, without a doubt, the infamous AVALANCHE. Why else would Barret have faltered at the accusation? And for that matter, why would they need fake ID's to begin with? I clenched my bag to my chest, and folded over it, hoping to block the rest of the world out.

_Good Morning! Welcome to Midgar Lines. Estimated arrival time at Sector 4 Station will be 11:45._

"Three minutes until ID check point," the woman mumbled.

"Awright. Three minutes 'till we jump this train. Got it?" Barret commanded.

Then their footsteps settled in to their respective places. I kept my head between my knees, hoping that they'd all just go away. In my head-all of Zig's songs run through my head, plugging up my ears with their ironically cheerful lyrics. My foot began to tap and I allowed myself to hum. That is, until I felt someone's hand on my back. I twitched upward to see the SOLDIER standing in front of me.

"Sorry," he muttered as he pulled away from me.

"What is it?" I snapped. I placed my hand on my forehead, still feeling completely unsettled by his presence. I hadn't the slightest idea what their plans were. Were they going to blow up the train? The main pillar? I couldn't bare the thought of it. I kept my eyes firmly shut.

"Hey," The SOLDIER said forcibly. I just shook my head. "Hey, are you listening?"

I put my hand up, palm facing him, hoping that he'd just leave me alone. I felt a shift in the air as he sat down in the spot next to me. "I just-" I tried to mutter something, but the words were caught in my throat.

"Here," the SOLDIER said. The faint smell of something fresh wafted into my nose. I opened my eyes to see that he was holding a white and yellow flower between two fingers. I furrowed my brows at it. I'd honestly never seen one before-and it was so vibrant in color, so different from the dark grungy color that surrounded the city.

"Are you giving this to me?" I asked. The SOLDIER shrugged, and I took it from him. "Why?"

"I don't know," he mumbled, "I mean, I didn't really need it."

"But it's a flower," I said. As I moved my fingers, the flower danced with elegance and grace. "They're really rare. Where did you get it?" The SOLDIER shrugged. When it seemed that he wasn't going to let any other information out, I sighed and stopped asking. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," he said.

"Well, can you at least tell me your name?" I requested.

"It's Cloud."

"Cloud then, thank you."

"I said it's nothing," Cloud said irritably. Regardless of Cloud's harshness, I couldn't help but smile. Whether he knew or not, all of my worries an anxieties of my well-being and safety were washed away. If Cloud had carried the flower, which was so fragile and helpless, and then passed it along to me, he wouldn't dare threaten it now. I decided that the flower represented as my shield. It protected me from AVALANCHE and, more importantly, from the man who handed me the flower itself who frightened me.

I slipped the flower into the ribbon on my hat, and took a deep breath in. Then I looked at Cloud and I smiled. I wanted to thank him again, but I figured that he wouldn't really care one way or another. So I just watched him, and I really took him in.

"Cloud!" The woman called. Cloud lifted his head up, and then without turning back he stood up and walked over to her. I sighed, and again reached up to touch my flower. Barret was staring at me with curiosity from across the aisle. I cleared my throat and looked at the ground. But my eyes wandered and landed on Cloud's back. All SOLDIER's are equip with swords, but not the type which Cloud was carrying. It was massive, and looked much to heavy to weild. He probably took good care of it for it was clean, but did not look new. When Cloud shifted, and the light hit it's surface I could see how many scratches it was riddled with. It had seen more than it's fair of battles, that much was clear.

It looked so familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on where it had come from. I leaned forward, and tried to shout Cloud's name to ask, but my voice was drowned out as an alarm rang through the car. The lights blinked and went red and I thought, this was it, AVALANCHE was to be caught. I was wrong. Before I could even attempt to guess their next plan of action, they were disappearing into the next car. I chewed my lip and slumped back into my seat, waiting for the lights to go back to normal.


	3. Chapter 3

I stood in line along with the other people who happened to be on the train along with AVALANCHE. Shinra SOLDIER's walked up and down the line shouting ridiculous threats at us about how if we didn't admit to something, we'd be thrown in jail. I was going to be late to work. I should've known that there'd be some security precautions that they'd have to take after Cloud's gang had tripped the alarms. As far as I could tell, they'd gotten away.

The T.E. was standing on the Shinra side of the line wearing a smug grin. He kept looking at me as if I was suspicious, which I found to be completely unnecessary. I mean, I had stood up for him against AVALANCHE in the first place. I reached up to make sure that the flower was still in its place. It was.

"I'll be needing to see everyone's ID's," The Shinra SOLDIER commanded. Unlike Cloud, he wore his helmet on. I wondered if all the SOLDIER's knew each other.

I reached into my bag, and pulled out my ID card. The SOLDIER went down the line scanning everyone's cards, and asking the normal questions-_what's your occupation? who's your employer? where are you from? What are you doing coming above the plate?- _I guess we all look like we're from the slums. The SOLDIER's made it seem like we had no business standing below the open sky.

Soon the SOLDIER approached me, and snatched my ID from my grip. He placed his scanner directly against the card and without looking at me, he spoke, "Job?"

"I work in the box office," I began, "at the Loveless Theatre."

The SOLDIER pursed his lips, "I know the place. Where you from?"

"Sector 7," I answered. "and I'm 20."

"Right," he said. He was staring at the screen and looked slightly concerned, "We only have records of you in our system the passed 2 years. Where were you before that?" I sucked my lips in as I tried to come up with an appropriate response. The SOLDIER must've noticed my hesitancy. His gaze moved to someone behind me, and he nodded a bit. I quickly looked over my shoulder to see another employee pulling out his phone. Was I in trouble? Before I could ask the SOLDIER who was interviewing me spoek, "You check out." He handed my ID back to me, but paused, "But you're, going to have hang back so we can talk to you a little more. Our sources say that you interacted with the suspects-in-question."

"Of course," I muttered. I placed my ID back into my bag and let out a sigh. 'Sources' they say. It's obvious that that T.E. doesn't know how to just be grateful.

After everyone had been checked, they pulled me aside and just sat me down on a nearby bench. It seemed very unprofessional, but I knew not to mention it. The employee whom the SOLDIER had nodded to before was now in an intimate conversation of the phone, although he kept eyeing me.

"I literally just met them today," I said, hoping to prove my innocence.

"You were with them again yesterday, though," The SOLDIER said with a tone of finality.

"Yeah-they were taking the train back at the same time as I was. It was just a coincidence. I thought I wasn't in trouble?" I said. I wondered if they could tell how nervous I was.

"We're just trying to make sure. When you spoke to them, did they say anything?" The SOLDIER was being vague on purpose.

I shook my head, "No, not about anything important as far as I could tell-" I did my best to recall any thing that would satisfy the SOLDIER's, and now Shinra folks. I just wanted to go. "They were really worried about the ID checkpoints. They were going to jump the train before so that they could do. I don't think they said what they were going to do."

"So it was their plan all along to jump?" The SOLDIER asked. I shrugged. He turned and began muttering something to another nearby Shinra Employee. They seemed to be coming up with someway to located them, but they were speaking too low for me to be able to really understand.

"One of them was a SOLDIER," I interjected, "I think. His name was Cloud."

"Cloud, you say?" The SOLDIER said. He thought for a moment,"Alright!" He yelled to the others. "I'm going to need a few of you to go inform President Shinra that there will most likely be an attack on the fifth reactor. Tell them that one of them could be a traitor, and that immediate precautions should be taking in order to catch AVALANCHE." A small group saluted him, and scurried off towards Shin-Ra headquarters. The employee who'd been eyeing me walked up to the SOLDIER, and handed him the phone. They both turned their backs on me and the SOLDIER lowered his voice. "Yes sir. Yes. A girl who goes by the name Matilda. Yes. Understood." He hung up the phone and clenched it in his palm.

"Is that it then? Can I go?" I asked. He looked at me, and was silent for a moment. He sighed and handed the phone back to the other man.

"Not quite. You've got someone who wants to see you again, who's a lot higher up in the food chain. Its not my call anymore." he said. Although I could not see his face, I could hear him smiling at me through his tone of voice.

_"What, me?" _I gasped, "_Why?"_

The SOLDIER turned to all of those who remained, missing my question, "Take her in to custody."

"_Wait!" _I shouted, "I didn't do anything! I swear! This has to be a mistake!" It was too late. The SOLDIER was walking away, and the others were pulling my arms behind me, attempting to put my hands into cuffs. I continued to shout out anyway, "_Didn't you hear me? I said I haven't done anything! I'm a nobody! Why are you doing this?_" They started to haul me off, and so I began to throw my weight about as hard as I possibly could.

They lifted me off the ground which gave them the upper hand for strength. I still did my best to scream, but they quickly taped my mouth shut. I couldn't believe it. My heart beat in my chest. They pulled a cloth bag over my head. I knew I was in their power now.

I had almost completely given up when I heard an explosion. Not the big type of explosion that came from the destruction of a reactor which had shook Midgar to its core only a day before, but instead a small one. Almost a pop, directly next to my ear. Then I heard a shout, and I was dropped on the ground. My back slammed against the pavement. I groaned.

A sharp pain shattered through my skull, and I gasped. All the senses around me began to fade, and for a moment, just a moment, I thought I heard someone whispering into my head. A soft, low, warm voice whispering snippets of sentences that I could not piece together. -_family-don't-good-happy-lost-_ and then a chuckle. _'Matilda. Matilda. Matilda.'_

_"Matilda!"_ Someone was lifting me off of the ground, and setting me in their lap. I tried to get my thoughts back in order, but I still felt so scattered that I couldn't really process anything. That is, until the bag over my head was removed. "Are you okay? God! What happened?" It was Zig. Oh thank god it was Zig. I don't think I'd ever been brought to tears with relief, but in that moment seeing him made me cry. I looked around to see that almost all of the SOLDIERS had been completely knocked out, a few were still groaning in pain. I never knew Zig could fight.

I wanted ask him how he'd done it, or how he found me, but at the time all I could conjure up was a whimper of a "Thank you." This made Zig relax, and he pulled me into an embrace.

* * *

**So that's all for today! I have a buuunch of papers that I need to be writing since its finals and all that. I hope you enjoyed what I've posted. Please leave a comment, a review, anything that lets me know how you like it so far. I'll post more tomorrow, so you can expect it. Thanks thanks thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

Zig took me straight home after he found me. He'd heard my shouts from a block a way where, luckily, he was handing out flyers to advertise for his job. He walked over to see what was going on and saw them slipping the bag over my head and carrying me off. He rushed over and he somehow managed to fight them off. That explosion that I'd heard was his magic, and he explained to me that he always carried materia on him. I'd never know that about Zig. I'd known him for 2 years and never seen him fight.

"Here," Zig said as he handed me a jug of water. It was lukewarm.

"Thanks." He sat down next to me on my mattress and rubbed my back. "You sure it's okay to skip your job today?" I asked.

Zig shrugged, "I mean, you're basically my sister. I'm sure they'll understand. If not, so what? I hate that job anyway." I appreciated the thought, but if either Zig or I lost our jobs, we probably wouldn't be able to afford food. "So," Zig said, "you've told me what happened on the train. But what happened to make Shinra want to take you into custody?"

"I don't know," I said, "I told them what I knew about AVALANCHE, and when they were about to let me go...they just changed their mind." I took another sip of my water. "They said that...that someone '_high_ _up on the food chain' _wanted to see me again." I looked over at Zig, hoping that he'd be able to come up with some reason behind this. "It probably has to do with who I was before." I said softly. "They probably knew something. Do you think..." I trailed off.

"That you should've gone with them?" Zig asked, "No. I don't. The way that they were hauling you off, it looked like it was a one way ticket to hell." I nodded, but still felt uneasy. "God. The black bag, the cuffs-just seeing you like that it was all too much." I turned my head to the side, feeling like an apology was in order but knew that there was nothing I could apologize for. "Were you scared?"

"Terrified," I admitted. Zig nodded, and wiped his eye. I smiled and reached over to give his arm a reassuring squeeze. "But you saved me, again." Zig smiled, but it did not seem to comfort him. I suppose nothing could be comfortable or right after such terrible events. But I wanted it to be so. I wished the rest of the world to melt away around us, and just have it be Zig and Matilda, like it usually was. We were best friends after all.

"Hey," Zig said after a few minutes, "I've got an idea."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Let's go to the wall." He started to smile again.

We gathered our leftover beers from the night before and walked together over Wall Market, directly next to Sector 7. We didn't say a word to one another until we got to the wall. In order to get to our perch at the top of the wall, we had to scale it first. The first thing Zig said to me after leaving the house was when he asked me if I was '_good_'. We were both 50 feet off of the ground, and a 6 pack of beer dangling off my waist. In that moment, I wanted to make some sarcastic witty comment, because I hated having to climb. Instead I just said, "Yeah".

When we were sitting and settled, I felt like nothing else mattered. It was the one place in the slums where I could clearly see the the slums weren't never-ending plane of poverty, and the plate doesn't seem like the only place worth standing on. No, in between the two worlds, and around the pillars that connect them, I could see a world much larger, and much warmer than my own that was bathed in sunlight, and free of smog. One day, I wanted Zig and I to go there.

I popped a beer open, and took a swig. Zig did the same. "Cheers to another day," he said as he raised his can. He cocked his head back and took more than he probably should've been drinking, especially so high off the ground. When he finished he let out a large belch. "Ooh," he laughed.

"Bravo!" I said as I clapped my hands together, "That was one of your better burps."

"So says you," Zig said. He put a fist up to his lips, and let out a second, smaller burp. "I mean, that one was pretty good." I playfully pushed him.

Looking out over the city, Zig, not surprisingly, burst into song "_I say the same thing twice I'm awkward when I speak / Ain't got the perfect smile don't turn heads on my street / tryin' to be a superstar like everybody else / but being myself is something I do well-"_ He turned to me, and motioned for me to continue on.

"_Whatever you do, do it good / Whatever you do, do, lord, lord, lord-Do it good-" _I sang with matching enthusiasm. Then I looked back at him for some support for our chorus.

"_Express yourself / Express yourself / Ah do it / See it's not what you look like when you're doin' what you're doin', Express yourself / ah do it!" _We didn't know the rest of the song, so we just laughed.

"This is my favorite thing," I said softly.

"I know, boss," Zig said. He took the final sips of his drink, crushed the can in his hand, and tossed it down into the pile of trash that lined our sector. "One day, when I sing this high up, people are going to look at me and they're going to cheer. All of my songs are going to be played in the slums and above the plate. You know that, right?" He was looking down at the bustle of Sector 7. Not one of them had noticed our presence. I didn't mind it too much, but Zig liked being seen.

"Of course," I said, "but you're going to have to start writing your own songs."

Zig chuckled, "Yeah well, my lyrics are crap so that wont work. You know, I hear that a lot of singers actually don't write their own songs? Like, someone else comes in and just hands them a song, and the singers or bands or whatever just sing. Pass me another one, boss." I lifted a beer out of the rest of the pack, and tossed it over to Zig, then I sipped on my own.

"Well, I'll always be your oldest and biggest fan. Don't forget me when your on the top." I said.

"You kidding? How could I forget the bratty kid that I found on the street? Not me," He teased.

"Hey," I whined, "since when am I defined as any of those things?"

"Since I met you. Why do you think I started calling you 'boss' for?" He made a point. I never knew why. Still, I wouldn't consider myself _bratty_ or anything. He was joking of course, but jokes do have a source. "I bet you were something close to royalty before I found you. I bet you gave those Shinra guys a strong fight before I showed up." No, I wanted to say, I didn't. I gave up quickly and became submissive. I didn't say this because I didn't want Zig to know how much of a coward I truly was.

"Fine. If I'm a brat," I said, "then you're the stereotypical poor musician." This made Zig laugh.

"That's a fair point. I can't deny it. They can fill books with people like me," he leaned over to me, "but let me tell you a little secret. The difference between me and the rest of those guys is I'm going to succeed. You'll see."

"Never doubted you for a second," I said.

"As it should be. You know what I'm going to get when I become rich and famous?"

"What? A tour?"

"That too." Zig said, "But, more importantly, I'm going to get myself a chocobo. I'm going to ride it every where."

"A chocobo?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's going to be fast." Zig smiled as he stared out over the horizon. He was always happiest when he talked about his dreams. That, by association, made me happy. "What are you going to do?"

"When?" I asked.

"For your future," he said. I loved how he used that word. _Future._ As if it wasn't as unstable and ever changing as I feared it was. While I didn't know where I was stepping, Zig always walked forward on a singular path, which he believed to be true and concrete. I wished I thought the same as he did.

"I suppose," I began, "I'll live vicariously through you." Suddenly, Zig swung his clenched fist over and punched my shoulder. "ouch!" I yelped, gripping the place which he had hit. "What was that for?" I asked.

"For such a stupid response," he said, "I'm serious. What are your future goals?"

I sat for a moment, seriously thinking about Zig's serious question. There was one thing that stuck to my mind, "I think I'm going to try to figure out who I was before I met you," I said. "I don't think I can look to the future before I understand my past."

"That's a much better answer," Zig said, with a smile of satisfaction. "I'll use some of my money to hire a private investigator for you-or maybe a scientist who can help you recover your memory."

"You'd do that for me?" I asked.

Zig grinned, "Of course I would. I love you like you're my family, and families support each other, right?" I nodded, and looked back at the horizon with Zig.

"I'll hold you to that, then. Maybe it won't be so scary if you're there with me."

"Yeah, boss."

During our walk home there was a second explosion in the far distance. I knew it was AVALANCHE; almost everyone on the street was talking about them. For some reason, it did not effect Zig and I. We were walking in a cloud of euphoria, where all there was our equal love and mutual respect for one another.

Zig began talking about his childhood, as he often did when he felt nostalgic and happy. I listened attentively, interjecting with questions when I saw fit, and laughing when appropriate. I loved his stories about his past, since I had none to refer to. However in this moment, it was not the story that really mattered, but the fact that Zig was talking so openly with me.

More than ever, the words _Family_ and _Future_ were something that I could really grasp. There was a growing feeling in my chest that told me I could lean up against these words with trust as long as they were surrounded by Zig. That feeling felt so beautiful, so visceral and so real, that I just wanted to burst into tears of joy right there. I wondered if I'd ever loved as I did then; in my life before Zig, or any previous lives I'd had. If I'd ever love as I did in that exact moment. A love filled with admiration and awe for the world which he saw and the world which he and I walked on.

Perhaps this was the same love which a starry-eyed little girl has from her older brother. I couldn't tell. But I knew if I somehow had the power to manipulate the world around me, I would simply stretch the path home to make it infinite.

* * *

**Lyrics don't belong to me. This one belongs to Charles Wright. **


	5. Chapter 5

The day

I woke up screaming. Not because of the terrifying nightmare that I just had, but because right at the tip of my nose, a cockroach sat, it's little antennas flicking at me. Zig was still in bed, and jumped up. I was already on my feet, scrambling to get to higher ground.

"What is it?" Zig shouted. I pointed at the roach, which was now scurrying away. "Aw, man, you've got to be kidding me." He groaned and fell back onto his bed with a loud thump. I hopped up onto one of our plastic blue chairs next to the front door.

"No, Zig, it was in my _face_! Like, _touching_ me and stuff." I shivered with disgust. "You'd be just as freaked out as I am. Oh man." I breathed. "Oh man, I did not need to wake up to that."

"Neither did I," Zig mumbled. He was laying face down, his voice muffled by the pillow. I grumbled at his lack of interest, but did not move from my perch. Zig must've know this, for only after a few seconds, he hopped onto his feet and let out an exasperated sigh. He walked up to me, and held out his hand. "Come on down, Boss."

I shook my head. "Who knows where it could've run off to."

"Oh don't be like that, you know exactly where it is. Just get down, and we'll take a walk or something." I shook my head again, which made Zig roll eyes. He shrugged, and then picked up his cereal box from the day before. "Whatever..." He sighed. Then my hat caught his attention. He reached over and lifted it off of the spot next to my bed. "Was there always a flower on it before?"

"No, actually. That's new," I said softly. I let myself squat, and wrapped my arms around my knees. Zig brought the flower to his nose.

"Is it real?" He asked.

"Yeah, Cloud gave it to me," I admitted.

"Cloud?" Zig said, "You mean that SOLDIER who was in AVALANCHE?" I nodded. Zig pulled his lips into a tight line and then set my hat back down on my mattress. I was waiting for him to scold me, or make some remark about me having it, but to my surprise, he just continued to eat his cereal.

"So...?" I hoped to urge something out of him.

"What is it, boss?" Zig said blankly.

"Aren't you going to say something about it?"

"What do you expect me to say?" Zig challenged.

"I don't know," I sighed, "something like '_don't trust them. Why would you accept a gift from one of them! They're terrorists'."_

Zig snorted, spewing hunks of food from his mouth, and on to his chin. He quickly used the collar of his shirt to wipe it away. "Hey, out of all the interactions that you had yesterday-it seemed that this AVALANCHE group was the safest. Now, if you'd gotten this from someone from Shinra I'd be more worried." That was so true it scared me. I finally stepped off of my chair, and sat back on my mattress. Zig continued to munch.

"Do you think that Shinra's bad?" I asked.

"Maybe." Zig said, "The news makes it seem like Shinra's some God that we should all be grateful to be allowed be associated with. But I've heard that they do some really messed up shit." He chewed his lip from a moment. "Actually, after what they did to you yesterday, I do think that they're bad." He turned his attention to me, and then reached towards me, setting his hand on my cheek. "Hey. Stay away from them, okay? Don't trust any of them. I don't want to lose you."

I nodded, "Of course."

"Say you promise," he said sternly.

"Yeah, sure-I mean, I promise."

He smiled softly, patted my shoulder, and resumed his breakfast.

As Zig was getting ready, someone started banging on our door. And I mean, _banging; _ all the plates in our one room shack began to clang as they hopped in their spots. Zig was in the middle of putting his pants on, so I got the door.

It was Daze and Rudy, carrying an armful of their belongings. They had looked like they had grabbed their things in a rush; their hair was much messier than it normally was, and they were panting erratically. "What is it?" I asked.

"We're leaving," Daze said.

"What? Why?" I asked. I heard Zig's footsteps behind me, as he approached the door. I stepped over so that he could talk to them as well. He was still tucking his shirt into his pants.

"What's going on?" Zig asked innocently.

"They say they're leaving," I said. Zig frowned.

"The hell, guys?" He yelled, "Why?"

Daze was wearing a solum face, and she turned to Rudy to explain. "We've heard a rumor," he began, "now, we're not sure its true, but its sending a lot of people into a panic. Regardless, we just cant do this anymore. It's too dangerous here. We're leaving Midgar."

They were being vague on purpose. "What's the rumor...?" I asked. They cleared their throats and shuffled their feet in place. "Just say it. You came here to tell us didn't you? Just say it!" I raised my voice too much, so Zig set his hand my shoulder.

"Boss-" he warned. I sucked my lips in.

"It's fine," Daze said. "You're right. We came here to warn you. They say..."

"-They're dropping the plate on Sector 7," Rudy finished. "Like, soon."

Someone frantically stumbled through the street behind Rudy and Daze. They tripped and fell flat on their face, but took little time to get beck on their feet just before scurrying out of my line of sight. I swallowed, "And this is a rumor...?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Daze sighed. "but to be honest, we've been hearing gunshots for the passed hour. I think it'd be best if you cleared out of Sector 7 for a while." Zig dropped his head and pinched the bridge nose as if he was irritated. I figured he was feeling just as confused as I was.

"Who's dropping the plate?" Zig managed to say, his fingers still squeezing his nose.

"AVALANCHE, Shinra, who knows these days? This whole damn city is ripping itself apart, and we're not going to be here to see it happen." Rudy said. He shrugged, "Anyway, we just wanted to let you know..." They exchanged glances with one another, and then smiled a sad smile. I crossed my arms across my chest, and rubbed my arm for comfort. I could feel tears welling up to my eyes; I feared this would be the last time I saw the two. I reached across the doorway, and pulled Daze into a tight hug.

"Oh, Matilda," Daze sighed. She tucked her chin into my neck and as we separated, she kissed my cheek. I then turned to Rudy, and gave him a hug as well. I listened to Zig hugging Daze like I did. Then a tear fell.

"You'll be okay," Rudy said kindly. The words were again lost in my throat, so I just nodded, and wiped my eyes. Zig moved me aside as he said his goodbyes to Rudy.

"Be safe," Zig said. They both nodded, and then turned away. The sounds gunshot shattered through the area, making Rudy and Daze stop to look back at us. ZIg just waved a reassuringly as they continued on. We waited in the doorframe until they disappeared around the corner. "Get your things, we're leaving," Zig said.

He didn't have to say it twice. I pulled out a bag, and began throwing things into my backpack, all the things that meant something to me, a few books, some clothes, there wasn't much more that meant something to me. I, of course, put my hat on my head, pulling on the brim hoping to have it more secured to me. Zig, on the other hand, was stuffing his bag with all of his journals filled with attempts at lyrics, his music, some food, and his own clothing. He lifted up his mattress to reveal a small collection of materia, which he stuffed into his pockets.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said.

The last thing Zig got was his box of cereal. He closed it up, and then shook it, "No point in wasting good food, huh?" he said. I laughed. "Okay, let's go."

We stepped out onto the street and started in the same direction which Rudy and Daze had just travelled minutes before. We walked slowly at first, almost like we were just going a stroll around the neighborhood. I could believe that was true as well, were it not for the growing sounds of gunfire as we got closer and closer to the border of sector 7. To my surprise, many people were going about their daily routines. They talked in a low mull, that acknowledged some possibility of danger, but they didn't find the possibility strong enough to make a big deal about it. I wondered if it was just a silly, stupid rumor.

We sped up, however, when we were surround by people much more frantic, and much more scared than us. It was hysteria, everywhere I looked. Children crying for their mothers, adults scrambling over them to get to the way out. In the distance, I could see a massive clump of people, screaming and shouting, clawing against a doorway that separated us from the other sectors. Zig grabbed a hold of my hand and tugged me to keep moving. He led me straight into the core of mob.

"It's open!" Zig yelled, craning his long neck above the rest of the crowd. "The doors are open. We should be able to get through here. He looked down at me,"You ready?" I nodded.

There was a loud pop above me. I looked up, and saw that it was coming from the pillar. There were people up on it, fighting on the staircase that led to the top. Streaks of light littered normally dark ceiling of the plate. Gunfire and magic, I assumed. A burst of fire exploded from a lower level, and much to my horror, a body came falling down. The whole crowd let out a collective scream as all of our eyes followed the poor soul to the ground. It landed with a loud 'thump' behind the wall.

I shut my eyes, and stopped walking all together. I felt like I was about to throw up, or feint, or collapse or something. I swallowed, but there wasn't any moisture left in my mouth. I whimpered.

Zig squeezed my hand, "Hey, focus on me!" He shouted. I nodded again. It was all I could do. "Just don't let go, and keep your legs moving. I'll take care of the rest. We'll be fine." Another nod.

I kept my eyes firmly shut. I'm not sure it was helping, since I could still hear the hysteria. Regardless, I was moving forward and that was all that mattered. I tried to focus on Zig's hand which was gripping my own and the flower that Cloud had given me. I reminded myself that it had been protecting me, and that if Cloud had anything to do with the pillar he'd at least have to make sure that the flower didn't get hurt. It was stupid, I know, but it was hope. A glimmer of hope was the only way to survive the fear that I had.

"We're almost there, Matilda!" Zig shouted, "I can see it! I can see-"

Then came the biggest explosion. My eyes snapped open and I looked up. Fire and debris poured out of the pillar and the whole crowd went silent. A low creaking sound vibrated through the city and the lights around us flickered. Even Zig looked up to watch this. It was nothing short of amazing, watching the slice of the plate shudder as it did as the wires connecting it to its port in the rest of the upper city stretched and popped. It slowly descended upon is. Gravity, it seemed, worked slower for such a mass.

We were all chickens. All of us, waiting to drown as we stared mesmerized up at the rain. That is, until cries of terror awoke us. Then the crowd began to move in a much more violent and forceful manner.

"Matilda!" Zig cried out. We were being torn apart. He was halfway through the doorway, but people were running so hard and so fast that I could no longer hold onto him. He was desperately clinging to the end of my hand, my fingers. "Run, Matilda! Just Run!" He shouted.

And then he was gone, pulled away by a wave of people. I could feel the rumble of the plate as it came down towards me. Fear rushed through me, passing through my head, my eyes, clogging up my throat and stiffening every limb in my body. The large shadow stretched over me, and as it did, my vision began to falter. Blackness crept in at the edge of my sight and everything around me grew silent.

I could hear nothing except that same voice from before whispered into my ear just a day before. Low, raspy, warm, the repeating my name over and over again, _'Matilda, Matilda, Matilda'_ and then in a new, much harsher tone, that voice whispered '_Traitor'_. A greater fear passed over me than the one that stemmed from collapsing plate. _That_ voice, I don't think I've ever heard anything more steeped in malice and unadulterated hatred than in _that_ voice. It was beyond terrifying. It opened up everything which had previously blocked like a shot of adrenaline.

That was when I found my legs; and I did run. Probably faster than I ever had. I passed through the gate with the next wave of people, but I didn't stop. No one did. As if death were biting at our heels, we ran fast and strong. I had no time to ask myself where to go, I just ran.

I must've only run for a few seconds. I was stopped by the rumble of the ground that threw me onto my hands and knees. A gust of wind carried a blanket of dust over me, and I covered my face with my hands.

That was it, I thought. The plate had fallen, and I had survived.


	6. Chapter 6

I raised myself off of the ground after everything had settled. I could hear car alarms, sirens and screaming in the distance, but could not see farther that a few feet in front of me. The air was thick with dust and smog. I reached up to check if my hat was in place, but it wasn't. That wasn't important, anyway. I had to find Zig.

The problem was I had no idea where to start looking. I headed straight to the marketplace. There was a small group of people gathering in it, and I asked around. The people who responded hadn't seen anyone who matched my description, but most people were in too much of a shock to be helpful. The next place a thought to look was the Wall. It was our spot. Surely, he could've gone there.

Something inside of me told me that all was not right.

In order to get to Wall Market, I had to walk straight passed the wreckage which I had been running from. I really didn't want to see it all, but I figured I had no choice.

The playground, much to my surprise, still stood. The doorway on the western side, the one which I had passed through only minutes before, was now barricaded with hunks of metal, wood, and a wall of flames stirring on top of it. I could not see beyond this mass of destruction, which filled the large doors to the top, but I could imagine death was not far behind it. If I closed my eyes, would I be able to see through the mass? Would I see blood permeating through the pores of the wreckage? The blood of the thousands of mothers, daughters, fathers, brothers, and friends who tried but could not make it out; the ones who knew, but chose to stay; and those who didn't even have time to look up-and then a single image would flutter through my brain, Zig, under a pile of rubble, drawing his last breath-

I did not close my eyes, knowing that doing so would allow my imagination to sweep in. I kept them wide open, even through all the smog and darkness, I dared not allow them to shut. I turned away from Sector 7, and started to move into Wall Market.

"Matilda," a weak voice called. I froze in my tracks. "Matilda." It was coming from beside me. I turned to look, very slowly and cautiously. He was sitting straight, resting in the shadows against a beaten, old, caved-in shack. He looked as through he was struggling to stay awake as his head bobbed up and down. He reached a shaky hand towards me. "Matilda," he beckoned. His other hand, was gripping his side, drenched in dark blood. "Matilda, please."

I had to shut my eyes and turned away. It was better this way, one of the few instances when I preferred my disturbing imagination to reality.

"No, please," he whimpered, "D-don't leave me." "I...I didn't mean to leave you when the plate-" he tried to explain. His words were soft, and disjointed. "When we got separated, I...I...I waited," he coughed, "for you. B-but the crowd." He swallowed, and had to pause for a moment to catch whatever breath he had left in him. I glanced at him from over my shoulder, but dared not turn my entire attention to him. "They knocked me over. When the plate fell, I got stuck. Don't hate me." He grunted as he lifted himself off of the wall. I feared that he might snap in half, right in front of me.

I tried to say _no_, I didn't hate him, that I understood what happened. His cough stopped me; blood sputtered from his lips, dribbling down his chin. He opened his hand, and coughed into it. When he looked at what had come from his mouth, his eyes widened. His chest heaved, as panic settled in.

"Please," he begged, "medicine. I need medicine. I don't want to die."

I did not move. I sucked my lips in and shook my head. _It's too late._

"Matilda, don't do this. Please!" He cried out.

I would've left him, but I had to do something first. I took a deep breath in, before diving towards Zig and sliding next to him on to my knees. For a moment, his eyes softened and he looked relieved. He soon realized that my intentions were not so simple. His expression shifted from relief, to complete and utter shock; His eyes widened as he looked down to where my hands were. I had stuffed my hand in his pants pockets, feeling around for the materia that I had seen him put away when we were still in our home.

"You wouldn't," he muttered directly in my ear, his voice cracking. He now looked disgusted as I reached to check his other pocket. "You wouldn't dare. You're not like that." Zig was crumbling before me, his voice shaking. He tried to grab my wrist, but his hand slipped and fell back onto his lap. He didn't have the strength to stop me. Blood was now was bubbling out his lips, and some began to emerge from his nostrils. He coughed, collapsing over my back as I was stretched over him, my fingers exploring another pocket. I finally felt the cool marble-like materia, I pulled them out and looked at the three small balls in my palm, one gold, one blue, and one red. "You wouldn't, please, don't," Zig said from behind me.

I closed my hand around the materia, and shoved them into my own pocket. I sat up, letting zig fall beside me, almost completely limp. His breaths were getting shorter, and his face growing paler. The deep red blood against his nearly white skin was jarring; he was already a corpse. I stood up keeping my eyes locked with his. With his cheek on the cracked pavement, he spoke; his lower lip trembled as tears began to fall from his eyes. "No, Boss. Don't."

I left Zig laying with his face in the dirt, alone for his final breaths. I turned back in the direction I had come from, with the materia that I had looted from him. They felt heavy and unfamiliar in my pockets, and knocked up against me as I jogged away. He started to wail as soon as I turned my back on him. Even after all that, he still was still desperately trying to get me to come back to him. He even called me _sister_ as a final attempt to remind me of the family I was leaving to die. But I was already gone. I listened for his voice for a long time, as he persistently yelled after me.

That was a good word for Zig. If anything, he was persistent.

I told myself I was doing the right thing as I ran away from Sector 7. The farther I got, the more his cries mixed with the rest of the suffering and death around me. It all became a unified requiem of death. One that, I would always remind myself, I had evaded.

* * *

**Alright. Technically this marks the end of part one, which is why this is such a short chapter. I'm hoping y'all don't hate Matilda now, but we'll see. Anyway, updates are going to be slower now that it's pretty caught up with home much I had written, so expect less chapters per day. Also, since finals are coming up, you might see a hault for around a week. You might not. It depends how effecient I am with my time. As always, I'd really really really really appreciate a comment to let me know what you think. **

**Thanks thanks thanks!**


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